


could only be fake

by eggfish



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, eichi is offscreen somewhere existing and making this happen, shippiness debatable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:37:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9500375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggfish/pseuds/eggfish
Summary: Hm. That wasn't right. Paper didn't move about on its own unless he was very low on sleep.He looked up, but the council room was empty apart from him. Maybe he was more tired than he’d thought.(A confrontation in spring of last year.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> enstars timeline is a mystery so maybe this isn't canon compliant but, set post-magicians/daydream and before end of 2nd year/formation of akatsuki

The war, or the clean-up as Keito liked to call it, was over and won, and the year was drawing to a close. Things were quiet enough, but this was still the first time in years that the student council had been put to proper use, and so there was still work to be done. They had to be rock-solid and undefeatable, even without their figurehead. Keito pushed away a twinge of worry for Eichi, the idiot, back in hospital again - worry would do no good for anyone. 

What would do good was getting this stack of requests for the White Day event out of the way. He checked and signed off the current paper and moved on to the next one, and the next, and then - this next, which had conveniently appeared on the table while he wasn't looking. 

Hm. That wasn't right. Paper didn't move about on its own unless he was  _ very  _ low on sleep.

He looked up, but the council room was empty apart from him. Maybe he was more tired than he’d thought.

Then - “Amazing!” The voice that broke the silence was so close to his ear and so loud that Keito yelled and lashed out instinctively. Whoever it was dodged him so narrowly, he felt his knuckles brush past fabric. 

“My, my, my, such violence.”

Keito twisted in his chair to see one of the Five Oddballs - Hibiki Wataru - standing to his left. An Oddball in his territory. Keito settled down and tried to look like someone who hadn't just screamed in fear over a slight interruption. What did Hibiki  _ want _ ? 

“Excuse my intrusion,” Hibiki said cheerfully, the formality coming way too late. “I merely came to deliver some of the mysterious, powerful substance which now holds this school within its grasp.”

What was this garbage? What was he on about? This was some kind of trick or set-up and Keito knew it. 

“I’m afraid I don't know what you're talking about.” He tried to sound neutral: he was the vice-president of the student council, this troublemaker was no threat to him. He shouldn't feed it by reacting.

Hibiki leaned past him, long hair brushing at Keito’s shoulder, and tapped the piece of paper on the desk with a magician's baton that he hadn’t been holding a moment ago. 

“Paperwork.” He smiled at Keito unreadably, now balancing the baton on one finger. “You needn’t even bother reading the paper - I’m sure a single extra sheet to sign is a mere trifle to you, no? But it is a very great favour to me!” He wiggled the baton and a bouquet of roses burst from the end, which he held out. “A token of my appreciation.”

Keito narrowed his eyes. “You’re trespassing just by being in this room. I don't know why you couldn't hand whatever you have in to your teacher as per the usual procedure.”

“Well, I shall remain here until you sign it, so if you wish for me to stop being a nuisance, the solution is simple…!” 

“I don't know where you get this notion that all my job consists of is putting my signature down. If it were that easy I wouldn't be here right now. For example, look at this - “ Keito looked, for the first time, at the form that Hibiki had slipped onto his desk. Then he looked at it again. Then he looked at Hibiki, who was now idly balancing the entire bouquet on the tip of his finger.

“Is this a  _ joke _ ?”

“Isn’t all of life merely a pleasant joke?” He brought the flowers to his nose and inhaled peacefully.

“No. Is this -- “ Keito shoved the paper in his face - “ a joke? Registering as a member of ‘fine’? Who do you think you are?”

“Why, I am your very own Wataru Hibiki…”

“You’re one of those who put Eichi in hospital and now you want to join his idol unit? Which has already disbanded, I might add. What makes you think he would even let you?” Unfortunately Keito could think of plenty of reasons Eichi would agree to that. This was awful.

“Well, he did make it extremely difficult for me,” Hibiki mused. “He made up all sorts of requirements, everything from dyeing my hair to reading esoteric books to climbing to the highest rooftop in the hospital with him, you see. But he said the most difficult one of all would be getting approval from you, and in person, even.”

Keito rolled his eyes. “So he sent you to annoy me, did he.”

“Ohoho. Now that is a rather wonderful way to look at it.”

“Well, he succeeded. You can go now.”

“Nooo, I cannot be dismissed so easily! You may degrade me to the state of a clown and bring me within a fingertip’s width of losing my life, but I am still the unkillable Wataru Hibiki…!”

“Yes, I heard your name the first time around, Oddball. Leave.”

Hibiki hopped up to sit on the desk next to him - on his desk! He nearly dislodged an entire stack of papers before catching them with his  _ hair _ , which was so disturbing Keito had to look away. Then he threw his shoulders back, leant on his hands, raised one leg in the air for no apparent reason, and bent sideways to look at Keito. The effect was very threatening.

“You’re not going to sign it?” he asked.

“No.”

“He talks about you all the time, you know,” Wataru said suddenly, “Eichi always mentions a certain 'Hasumi-kun’... or was it ‘Himura-kun’...? Hmm, and yet you never visit him, do you? He must be terribly lonely, caged within the bars of that hospital, no unit members, no friends, no freedom -- “

“You,” Keito felt a hot ashamed flush of jealousy of all things. Jealousy and regret. This was so wrong. He kicked his chair away, grabbed Hibiki by the front of his shirt, hauled him down from that stupid pose on the table to look him in the eye. He didn’t even seem shocked he just  _ smiled  _ which was infuriating. 

“You have no fucking right to use his name like that. None. He’s suffering  _ because of you _ .” He balled his fist tighter and gave Hibiki another shake. Hibiki stumbled, let out the  _ ugliest _ most theatrical breathy gasp and lifted his hand to touch Keito’s arm so delicately. 

“My goodness, Hitomi-kun… This is thrilling. You’re still a raging delinquent at heart, aren't you?” (Shit. The whole 'Deadmanz’ thing kept coming back to haunt him.) “This won’t do at all. You’ll need to wear your mask a little tighter now you’re the boy who rules the school. Set a good example for us other students who have lost our way, yes?” 

The sick feeling in his stomach rose as he realised how easily Hibiki had goaded him into losing control - and now he was calling him out on it, like he’d set Keito up to prove a point. To prove he didn’t deserve his position. It was a challenge. It was beneath him.

Keito let go of him, smacked off the wayward hand sliding up his arm. Carefully steadied his glasses on his nose and stepped back. “...I don't know what you’re talking about. I don't control the school. At most I’m warming this seat until our president returns.”

“Ah, but no, Hashimoto-kun, me and  _ Eichi -  _ “ Keito let out a slow breath through gritted teeth - “have been having nice, long, chats about such things. I know all about your role in this tragical comedy now.”

“Do you. Would you like a gold medal for being so knowledgeable.”

“I’d like something far more valuable,” Hibiki said, waving his hand through the air. “That is, your blessing upon this sheet of paper.”

“No.”

“Come on now. I’m not here to steal your part. I’m sure we can peacefully coexist, yes? I’m sure we can each be of use to Eichi in our separate ways, yes?”

“There are other people who can be useful to him that aren't impertinent  _ freaks --” _

Hibiki looked at him silently for a long moment. Keito hated being this wrong. Hated that Hibiki could see he was arguing for its own sake and all he did was smile and put the pen into Keito's hand.

An irreplaceable freak. Keito signed the form.

“You have the very deepest of gratitude from this Hibiki Wataru,” Hibiki said, bowing painfully low before jumping back up like a toy on a spring. “And now the important things are safely put aside, how about a break from your boring work here? I expect you’ve been sitting for many hours now, why, your body will simply wither away! How terrible! Shall we go for a refreshing walk in the school gardens? Repair this tumultuous start to a beautiful friendship?” 

This was the same boy Keito had been ...physically intimidating... five minutes ago and now he was leaning in and peering up at Keito with such a light hopeful innocence it could only be fake. Keito squinted at him, trying to see the trick. “...No,” he said absently as he stared. “Absolutely not.” There was a wisp of hair sticking up from Hibiki’s head that needed combing down. It looked ridiculous.

“Ohh, well, we don't have to go out. Resting inside is always a good option.” Hibiki stole the pen somehow and took each of Keito’s hands in one of his own before he had time to react, gently tugging. “Come away, come away.”

What on earth. This situation was so strange that Keito could barely process what was happening. It made him want to just give up on trying, to let himself be led. He was very tired of being in charge, and Hibiki's thumbs were warm against his palms. His arms felt heavy...

_ Hold _ on a second! 

“You! Don't touch people without their permission!” Keito snatched away his hands, and curled them up into fists for good measure. “I don't know what kind of right you think you have to grab onto me and disturb me or why you think this is the beginning of a friendship. This shouldn't even be the beginning of an acquaintance. I’ll be happy never to see you again. But regardless of this, you need to learn some respect, Oddball -- “

He continued on like this but Hibiki apparently found some part of it very funny because he - well, he laughed but it was like no human laugh, it was a gleeful bouncing  _ fufuFUFUU _ noise that rose so high he might have been inhaling helium as he went. 

“Pay attention when I’m telling you off, will you?” Keito snapped. 

“I do not need to listen any more, though, I believe! You truly opened my eyes with just a few words, Hitotsu-kun. How eloquent - I shall hope to inspire more passionate lectures from you in the future.”

Keito scowled. “Why if you won't listen to them. Don't even think about wasting my time like that.” 

“Like so, like so! That look of irritation - no, of trepidation on your face - how satisfying for me…! If you will not be friendly, well, you are hardly worth being my enemy, but still you are shaping up to be wonderful entertainment. Give me another death glare, Hatori-kun…”

Keito was so offended right now for so many reasons. He shouldn't really have played along but still just to spite Hibiki he gave his warmest, kindest smile.

“Ah! Instead of the death glare we get the glassy, smiling rictus of a dead body!” Keito went back to frowning in a hurry. “Don't worry, you’re just as handsome no matter what expression you wear.”

“I wasn't worr- I mean get  _ out!  _ Stop being a pest!”

“Ah, but what else would you rather I be? Gone altogether? Our interaction is growing stale, perhaps I will oblige - “ Was this it? Finally? “ - or perhaps I won't?” Dammit!

Hibiki laughed more normally and clapped his hands, releasing a huge puff of orange smoke. “Well, we shall meet again, if you want your pen returned,” called the voice drifting out from the cloud. When the smoke cleared nothing remained. 

How annoying. There was no way he could get anything done after a distraction on that level - he was itching to give a full lecture to that Hibiki now. Clearly he was too sore of a loser to give up on making trouble even after all the effort they’d gone to crushing him to the ground. Keito would have to be on guard. How truly, truly annoying.

**Author's Note:**

> i love angst and keito/wataru  
> i'm deep in enstars hell rn i'm @goldgust on twitter if you wanna hmu


End file.
